Post navigation

The Problem with Pitties

It matters not what one is born, but what they grow to be.
- Albus Dumbledore

I recently wrote a post on why I love (accurate) breed profiling. I briefly mentioned pitties (A.K.A., pit bulls), but didn’t really go into depth about them as a specific “breed” of dog. Right now pit bulls are a polarizing breed. Lovers or fighters? Vicious or victims?

As I’ve previously written, I’m all for accurate breed descriptions, or profiling. Name things accurately. Describe things correctly. As Dumbledore pointed out to Harry Potter, “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” Sage words.

Polarizing things, such as pitties, puts them in angel or devil categories, each side slinging skewed statistics and unrealistic qualities, towards the other:

Their jaws lock on their victims/There’s no such thing as an aggressive pittie

The pit bull terrier is the breed of choice for criminals./Pit bulls are the best family dogs.

Pit bulls will readily fight other dogs/Pit bulls are the most social dogs out there

Who’s right? The problem lies within the fact that we only have two choices within to categorize pits: angel or devil.

In 1820, Sir Walter Scott wrote his famous Ivanhoe, a medieval romance set in 12th century England. One of Ivanhoe’s characters that doesn’t get a lot of credit is Isaac of York, a Jew. In 12th century England, where the story is set, Jews were basically a pariah. Hated and maligned, and apparently quite capable of witchcraft against Gentiles, according to the ludicrous thinking of the period. They had mostly, if not always, been portrayed in western fiction as evil, base and cowardly. After a bit of time, a small, select group of people began to loathe the treatment of Jews in literature, and portrayed them to be enlightened people, who were innocent beyond reproach (even Rebecca in Ivanhoe was treated as a pinnacle of beauty and innocence). Obviously neither description of Jews was accurate – any large group of people cannot possibly be all good or bad.

Then comes Isaac. Sir Walter Scott did something amazing when he created the character of Isaac: he allowed Isaac to be base and elevated. Kind and cruel. Able to be callous one moment, and show extreme tenderness the next. In other words, Scott made him real. To my recollection, this was the first time in history that Western culture had portrayed someone Jewish as, well, neither angel nor devil. He was merely human. He was just like other humans. And we judge humans on a case-by-case basis, not by gender, by ethnicity, or by…well, anything other than who the individual is.

Consider Isaac when debates about pit bulls come up. The best thing we can do for pitties as a “breed” is to allow them to land somewhere between angel and devil, just like any other breed of dog living being. Pitties are not perfect. Please don’t put that label, so full of pressure, on them. Pitties are dogs, no more, no less. Just like every other dog, they have their quirks, and they have their amazing redeeming qualities. Most importantly, they are individuals, not to be defined as a one-size-fits-all breed standard.

I am admittedly a pittie fan. Being a trainer, I am familiar with these dogs. I’d say roughly 60% of my clients own pitties/pittie mixes, however, I have never been bit by one. They can be very timid sometimes, and occasionally very submissive, but stand-offish is not a word for them. Sometimes shy, sometimes boisterous. Always a riot, though. Typically, they’re the type of dog who’d apologize for apologizing too much.

I’ve worked with a few clients who had dog-reactive pit bulls, but then again, I’ve had 4 pugs in the last week who were dog reactive. Pitties are not suitable for every situation, but then, no dog is. But I’d confidently say they’re appropriate for most situations. I will not lie and say they are without fault; believe me, they can have faults, just like every other dog. But they have heart. They have loyalty. They seem to be willing to try to do what ever you want them to do. They are a dog. I personally do not own one because, unfortunately, that would be illegal in my home city of Lakewood. But hopefully I will be able to in the near future. I’ve kinda developed a crush on pitties, you see.

This is why Darwin Dogs is so vocal about ending breed specific legislation (“BSL” or “Breed Bans”), and are aggressively pursuing an end to them.. As our mission statement proclaims, we are dedicated to peacefully and logically examining the necessity of Breed Specific Legislation in various cities, starting with our hometown of Lakewood, Ohio.

So instead of serving the Kool-aid of “Perfect Pitties” or the poison contained in the BSL’s, it’s time to give the victims of the BSL laws what they deserve: the opportunity to be looked upon with all their glorious faults and beauty. In other words, just a regular dog. Perfectly imperfect.

Please help us in our fight against stereotypes, such as BSL. For more information about how you can help, please check out All Breeds Lakewood, which is comprised of a handful of Lakewood citizens who have banded together to end breed discrimination and promote dog safety in our city.

7 thoughts on “The Problem with Pitties”

Great article. Part of the reason I moved out of Lakewood was because of the laws in Lakewood – it disgust me. I have a 4 dog pack and three of those are either full Pit or American Bulldog/Pit. I must admit I used to “judge” the breed, but once I got to know them my heart was sold and they are just part of our family. My favorite is when we are out and someone walks up to me, pets them and then they are completely shocked when I confirm they indeed are Pits (mixes). Hopefully it helps to teach and make people aware of what wonderful companions they can be

Talk about sticking to your guns, Ashley! I’m sorry you took a great group of dogs from Lakewood, but unfortunately, you wouldn’t *have* a the great pack you do if you lived in Lakewood. Here’s hoping that we can bring them back to Lakewood soon!

I’m a crazy animal lover and am so glad to know of your website and mission in Lakewood. I live just above the Florida Keys and visit Lakewood whenever I can as my family all live there. Our Lab needs the dog park big time and I’ve seen my share of dogs. I’m cautious when meeting new dogs, whatever the breed. I’ve known some wonderful Pits and unfortunately witnessed a Pit drawing blood off my dog’s neck. I consider her an individual case and don’t loath Pits. Anyway, I love reading your comments! Wondering… Do you take questions from your readers? Our daughter has a naughty little male pug. Angel most of the time. Leave him and he does some nasties on the couch.. Erin ( daughter) is at her wits end. Can she contact you for some advice. Thanks do much, Laurie Jester

With regard to your daughter’s issues with her pug, I recently did a two-part series on improper elimination in the house. I would strongly suggest you direct your daughter’s attention to these posts, as they describe in detail how to identify why your dog is eliminating in the house, and secondly how to address it. Link below. Let me know how it goes!